


Lab Rat

by Skeren



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime 2003)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-04
Updated: 2016-02-04
Packaged: 2018-05-18 06:16:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5901502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skeren/pseuds/Skeren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was an eventful escape.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lab Rat

**Author's Note:**

> Written December 2005.

There was something to be said for the gullible. Whatever it was, it was more than likely nothing complimentary. If he was feeling generous, he’d admit to the fact that they weren’t alchemists, nor had they known the man the creature was impersonating. He wasn’t. It wasn’t anything personal, but if the fools couldn’t see, it wasn’t really his fault at all then was it?

He listened to the whispers, the frightened back and forth. It was amusing how they all feared for their lives. Really, after so long in cages a person might have gotten used to having their life be worthless, but apparently they didn’t much agree. 

Speaking up proved to have an amusing side effect. The fool men really thought he’d use anything so low as explosives? There must have been quite a bit of filtering among the gossipers if they’d forgotten why it was he was named Crimson. They knew that title, yet they didn’t know what it was that he could do? Shame on them.

The explosion as he made his point was wonderful. It was glorious, bright, and the feeling was one he’d gone too terribly long without. The feel of the red around him sated a hunger he’d been too long since satisfying. On consideration, it has been pointless to mention it, but he’d already known none of this canon fodder would live all that long. 

The military was too good at cleaning up its messes and taking care of mistakes. 

So here he was, the only one among the prisoners who’d dived towards the explosion rather than away. Fools wanted to go to the reaction below did they? It was no trouble to him, he could handle a little fire if it meant freedom.

He didn’t consider whether the thing that had checked on them had known he’d break free, as nothing bore consideration at this point beyond leaving. The spark of alchemy from behind him drew a brief glance, but it was just the floor coming back to one piece, something likely to do with the boy they’d been presented to.

It certainly hadn’t been a man’s voice that had said that they’d do. Stupid children, always getting into things they didn’t understand.

The trek through the halls was unhindered, everyone apparently having turned their attention to the spectacle that he wasn’t bothering to see. Even whoever caused the first explosions apparently had decided to go watch the fun. It might have been worth a glance, but he had other things on his mind.

The soldiers coming down the hall posed a problem, tugging him away from his pondering over the crowd he’d left behind. He was in no shape to fight, not after his stint in the dark. Amusing that, to go from being tucked in a dark hole, to being fodder for another alchemist, to finally seeing the firing squad that was once anticipated.

This had to be the most eventful day he’d had since the war.

It was a slightly surprising thing to see the woman jump in front of him. He never really thought there’d be someone out there to come to his rescue. He certainly never considered going to anyone else’s. She wasn’t the only one either apparently, the military were all coming from one direction, and being moved down in the process, but there were footsteps coming from his side as well.

There was a whole group, more than he’d expected, and he wasn’t sure what to make of them. The leader, it was the only thing he could be, he certainly didn’t seem to have any other obvious use, was eyeing him. It had been a long time since someone had looked at him like that. After all, the guards had done their level best to forget how dangerous he was. Even the other prisoners hadn’t been properly afraid. Neither was this man, but he seemed less uninformed than those he’d been dealing with of late. 

If they got him out of here, it would only be for the better. 

They had their own clothes, or at least not prison clothes, and he found something unfair about that. It figured. He didn’t expect anything to be fair, just even. One thing for another, there was no rule that said it had to be something positive that you got out of it. 

They had their weapons, he had his. His were likely more exhausting than theirs, but that was a small thing, a trifle of a problem. He’d prefer the steady beat of an explosion to the thrill of a blade any day. You couldn’t get the same beauty of things with a blade. There was no decomposition of things back into as much gore and dust as they ever were with a blade.

Not that they all had blades, but none of them had a weapon like his. The leader, he wasn’t even human. It was as obvious to him as it had been on the other one that had been in charge of the experiment. There was something morbid in that, as he decided to follow them out of the place, him going from one of these creatures to another.

It was a private comedy. He didn’t say anything to the questions or looks he was getting, just maintaining his wry smile. He knew that the people with the creature were starting to think him unhinged, but that didn’t matter.

There was no point trying to pretend to be something that he wasn’t.


End file.
